Electronic marketplaces, such as those accessible via the Internet, may include a catalog of items or products available for purchase. These items may be offered as the basis for commerce (e.g., sale or trade). In one example, customers may utilize a web browser to visit a merchant's website, select an item for purchase from the catalog, and engage in a checkout process to finalize an order for the item. The merchant may operate a fulfillment network including various facilities in order to process such orders. For instance, the merchant may operate an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) that is capable of automatically or semi-automatically retrieving purchased items in an inventory workspace to fulfill orders. The retrieved items are then automatically, semi-automatically, or manually prepared for shipments to the respective purchasing customers. The present invention is directed to providing an ASRS and related methods, which are fast, accurate, and efficient in their use of an inventory workspace particularly when the workspace area is limited.
While the systems and methods for transporting inventory are described herein by way of several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the systems and methods for transporting inventory are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the systems and methods for transporting inventory to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the systems and methods for transporting inventory as defined in the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.